Knowledge Is Dangerous
by LivingForEveryMoment777
Summary: The mist has fallen, and with it, all security that the camps had given. Greeks and Romans alike were hunted down. Nobody with even a trace of Godly lineage was safe. A final stand on Camp Half-Blood marked the fall of a great hero. Percy Jackson has faced immeasurable odds before, but this time he might not come out alive. *Co-Authored with AngelOfDarkness2004*
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

 **That's right, I'm back! And with a brand new story! This is actually co-authored, by an AMAZING writer called Angel Of Darkness 2004. If you find this story good you have her to thank :P She's incredible, and I'd definitely recommend reading her stories (You can find a link to her profile in my 'Favourite Authors' section). The story will be on both our accounts. But anyway, we really hope you like this story! However, I'd** ** _strongly_** **recommend finishing Blood Of Olympus before reading this, though I guess you** ** _could_** **understand it. This story does not go along with the 'Trials Of Apollo.'**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **You can read now, sorry for the rambling.**

 _We didn't choose to be born. We didn't choose to be heroes either. And yet we were blamed for both. It is strange how it all went. The World praises the strong and yet fear the unknown. And then, they often mistake strong, for dangerous. That's what happened with us demigods. We had always known that our lives were cursed but it wasn't until after the war that we realised how corrupt both Worlds were. Mortals who prided themselves on their intellect judged too quickly and demigods, who preached of honour and heroism were ready to fight for their lives when danger struck. And to think, the whole affair started with 'insert number here' words…_

The first incident took place after the Giant War. A few months later, in the April of 2015 and things had been going great, for both camps. The Romans and the Greeks had learned the hard way that war didn't help anyone, but the lessons that both sides learned would stay with them for a long time. Renovations were slow, the Gods were still out of commission, but spirit was high. Unfortunately, no war could be won on morale alone, and while the camps were at their happiest, they were also at their weakest.

That was when the monsters struck.

But we're getting carried away here, and that's unfair to those who weren't there. But to those who weren't there, the ones who live in a blissful trouble-free life, I warn you that this is not a story you want to read, it is not a story with a happy ending. It's a story of abandonment, of torture, of heartbreak and of crushed hope. It's a story that can never been forgotten but a story you will never forget. It's the story of when the mist fell…

Camp Half-Blood was finally _finally_ rebuilt. It had taken the better part of a month but the Roman's assistance had been invaluable and the original cabins were all back, with some minor improvements. Most of the cabins (particularly Hermes's) were notably larger, and small renovations that suited the talents of the kids inside. The renovations and (gifts) were good enough to dispel any lingering negative feelings and the barrier between the Greeks and Romans were slowly diminishing until the only true difference seemed to be which camp they hailed from. It was as common to see a _pilum_ or _puthio_ as it was to see a dagger or sword around the camp..

They were at peace.

"PERCY JACKSON!"

Mostly.

A savage, frothing-at-the-mouth beast burst out of one of the many cabins, a bulging hand grasping at a long spear that seemed to have impaled something, judging by the red smear running across its tip and down the shaft. Despite the apocalyptic aura surrounding the creature, most of the surrounding campers seemed shockingly un-shocked at the appearance of what might be the end of their lives. Most didn't even bat an eye. Indeed the only real reaction seemed to be a high-pitched squeal that seemed to have originated from a patch of nearby bushes, a squeal that was followed by a boy, almost man, rushing from his hiding place.

"I'm going to kill you Prissy! I'll run through and use your blood as cleaning liquid you IDIOT!"

"You'll have to catch me first War-Head!"

"SO DEAD. YOU ARE SO DEAD."

"Come on! I know you can do better than that!"

Clarisse La Rue only growled, trying to catch up to the other teenager. However, the dark-haired figure had had a good head-start and had the motivation of a long and painful death if he stopped to keep him going. The two raced across the grounds, insulting and screaming at each other as they went. Their rampaging forced many campers to collect their possessions and rush out of their way. One camper in particular watched the tirade with a veterans look on his face, a face that said that he'd seen it all.

"See, right here. This is why we can never have nice things."

Jason sighed and released his spear and it shot through the sky like a beacon. It flew far, with some assistance from the winds and cleanly landed a few millimetres behind Clarisse, perfectly puncturing her boot and pinning her to the ground. Without looking at the consequences of his actions, Jason strode forward and dragged Percy with a suffering look on his face.

"You know Percy, most people decide _not_ to enrage the most hot-tempered person in camp. Most people _don't_ initiate a prank war. And most people live with all their limbs. You could try that sometimes."

Percy smacked Jason's hand off with a mock-frown, pretending to be annoyed when he really wasn't. "Well most people don't have to get vengeance on their deadly enemy. This was a matter of life and death!" Jason, impassive to the pleading tone (he found that the effectiveness of the seal eyes wore off after a few months)

"Well, there's a meeting in the Big House but I can always tell Annabeth that you were too bus-"

And off Percy went.

Jason crossed his arms with an amused smirk on his face. It was almost sad how easy his friend could be persuaded. Almost. Shaking his head, he started his walk towards the Big House.

When Jason entered the big house after Percy the son of Poseidon was seated comfortably by Annabeth, joking lightly as she told him off for being late. For all Annabeth's death-threats she didn't seem nearly mad enough to actually do any harm. Jason guessed that if you were dating a boy like Percy you would need a _lot_ of patience. His stream of thought was cut off when Piper grasped his hand. He smiled down at his girlfriend.

Well, it wasn't like he was much better, the Gods only knew why Piper stuck with him.

Kaleidoscope eyes turned towards him with a smirk. As always, it seemed as though she knew exactly what he was thinking. He intertwined his hand with hers, treasuring how the younger girls fingers fit in his palm. Returning Pipers smile he sat and slid up the bench, letting their shoulders bump. His girlfriend was (arguably) put through more grief but somehow she maintained that sense of calm around her. It gave him an oasis, somewhere where it didn't feel like he was being fought and blown away. It made him feel… Safe.

 _I don't know what I would do without her_

Soon all the head counselors arrived. The counselor from Cabin 1 to Cabin 20 that had kids were: Jason, Percy, Katie, Sherman, Annabeth, Will, Thalia, Leo, Piper, Connor and Travis, Pollux, Nico, Butch, Clovis, Holly, and Lou. Chiron closed the doors, his hooves clicking against the floor. He stood at the head of the ping pong table and looked at the the head counselors, his face grave, telling all of them that something bad happened.

"The mortals are getting closer," he started, "Gaea's attack has made us vulnerable to discovery. The Mist has also weakened. Hecate is trying her best but…"

"Is there anything we can do?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron shook his head, "The only thing we can do is prepare. There are still many that haven't healed yet and our casualties were heavy. We haven't finished reconstruction either and our weapon supply is low."

A tense silence rose throughout the Big House, nobody really knowing how to reply to such a grave situation. Gaea's attack had hit them hard with heavy casualties on both sides. They had barely managed to survive and they weren't ready for another attack on camp. Annabeth for once didn't have a plan.

The solemn silence was broken by a crash. Normally Percy would be grateful for a break in the tension but there was something… Off. It wasn't like your normal Camp Half-Blood explosion. He glanced over to Chiron and saw that the centaur thought the same way. Moving out of his chair and hurried out, a rushed pace to his footsteps. He stepped outside and gasped. His instincts were right, though he wished they weren't.

Chaos.

That was what surrounded him. Several of the cabins were destroyed and some demigods lay either injured or dead on the ground.

"Percy!"

Percy swung around to see Annabeth rushing towards him. Her face shook him out of his trance. Now wasn't the time for panic or fear, he had to be a leader.

"How heavily is the enemy armed, can we handle them?"

She shook her head, her curls whipping with her face's motion.

"We're massively outnumbered and they have far more resources. If we were at full strength maybe but with our diminished resources there's no way we can win this fight. Our only chance is retreat."

A yell bubbled up in Percy's throat. How did the mortals find them? What happened to the barrier? Why had nobody noticed before it was too late! The army was massive, there was no way the look-outs could have missed it! Were they asleep!

 _Bubbled_

He gasped.

 _Bubbled!_

"Annabeth, remember Mount Saint Helens?"  
"I remember you being an idiot and telling me to leave you because 'you had a plan.' That trick's not going to work again. Percy, we can't risk any campers."

Percy snapped. His powers were under control now, he wouldn't hurt anyone. And the mortals weren't going to be harmed either. He'd seen footage of veterans, how they were in so much pain, how they struggled from the time they spent fighting. He'd never dream of hurting anyone.

"Exactly we can't! I can control my powers now, they'll all be fine! But you know as well as I do, there's no way we can get an organised retreat in so little time. This is our be-"

His head jolted to the side, his cheek stinging with the impact of his girlfriend's slap.

"I'm not talking about whether you can control your powers! I'm not talking about the campers! I'm talking about _you_!"

"Annabeth…"

He reeled back in shock as he met her eyes. Annabeth's eyes were full of tears.

 _I… I made her cry?_

Angrily Annabeth brushed the tears from her cheeks and eyes. She sniffed and faced her boyfriend with her best 'steel gaze.'

"It's not about any of that. To me… To me, nothing in this camp is worth losing you. I can't… I can't lose you again. Don't you understand? We've been lucky so far but… What if is the last time? We're not immortal, you're not immortal and-"

Percy moved on instinct and kissed his girlfriend. It was the only way he could beat her in an arguement, or when she wanted to make a point. He thought of every memory he had of her. Her innate strength, her wit and bravery. He poured all of emotions into that one moment. Trying to make her understand what he was really thinking. Trying to say goodbye.

She understood. He knew she did. It was something that came from knowing each other so deeply, from fighting side by side, from going through what they had. They knew the other well that it was like they were a conjoined soul, one essence in two bodies. They could tell when one of them was counting.

"Then I'm coming too."

Percy's eyes shot open, disbelieving of what she had said. He had been doing this for her, to get her out alive, safely. Then, why was she going to risk herself so, so _stupidly_!

"No, you can't! Annabeth, you-"

"Nothing you say will stop my decision Percy. You know that Seaweed Brain. Either way, we're together. It'll be fine."

Percy sighed but at the same time decided against actually fighting. She was right, she cared just as much as he did, and nothing could stop her, not even him. Sighing, he hefted Ripide into his palm, the reassuring metal chilling his palm.

"Then we've got some work to do, Wise Girl."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey!** **  
** ***Ducks to avoid rotten vegetables***

 **I'm sorry this was so late, I had exams and international school trips and a whole mess of things so we only finalised this on Thursday.**

 **Bunearybunny - Thank you so much! Your wish is our command!**

 **Guest - Die Hard to you to (Hello is overrated )**

 **RAGINGFAN - Great that you like it! I'll see you soon with the next chapter :)**

Riptide always seemed heavier when he held it in preparation for a fight. Percy didn't know whether it was purely psychological or a message from his sword, trying to reassure him. He preferred the latter, liking the idea that the sword, or maybe his father, was giving courage. It filled him with confidence. He turned away from the Big House, trying to ignore the foreboding feeling that he wouldn't be coming back.

 _That's stupid, of course you'll be coming back. This is just another fight and you'll be fine. Annabeth says so._

But at the same time, this felt like a different fight. Percy had stayed alive for years thanks to his instincts, he wasn't going to ignore them now. He took a deep breath, calming himself and focusing. He counted his inhalations, practising them and rehearsing them. He would only have one chance at this fight and he couldn't risk tiring himself out.

These were mortals he was fighting. They were smart and united, all the advantages demigods usually had against monsters. Their technology was superior, their planning skills and preparations were in depth, they had the experience to defeat them. And the majority of their weapons were useless, seeing as celestial bronze couldn't harm them. Riptide had been imbued with an extremely small amount of stygian iron, so that it could be an actual threat and weapon against the enemy.

 _Enemies, not mortals. We can't think of them as we would our family._

This battle went against everything they fought for. They fought to protect the World from evil, to protect its inhabitants. This was a wholly different battlefield.

Nico suddenly appeared by his side. His sudden appearance shocked Percy, even though he hadn't shadow-travelled. He had just been so lost in thought.

 _That's not good. I should really be more alert._

"Listen, Nico. I need to tell you something, as a last resort."

"I'm listening."

"Good. So, when I give you this signal you need to…"

The explanation was short, but it needed to be. They didn't have the luxury of time. Nico understood.

"Percy!"

He turned back around, understanding by Nico's tone that this was serious.

"After the fight is over, we regroup at the big house. All of us. You understand"

It tasted like he had ash in his mouth. He didn't know if he would be able to meet them. But Nico needed to believe that he would be back. Under the facade, under the mask that had been developed due to being a child who grew up to fast. Nico was a child. And he was family. Of course he was scared.

So Percy pushed his own hesitations away.

"I understand. I'll meet you there Nico."

And his gut told him not to make promises he knew he couldn't keep but.

"It's a promise."

And he turned away.

He had a war to fight.

He breathed. Counted to ten. Then he looked forward and stepped forward to meet the enemy.

 _One step._

To block, shift the grip of your sword, curl your fingers and bring the pommel to your forehead.

 _Two steps._

Slash using your momentum from a spring, don't underestimate the power of an extra inch.

 _Three steps._

Lower your centre of gravity to- oh forget it.

He gave up in trying to revise movements. They wouldn't help. In the battle he'd be running off adrenaline and instinct, with nothing to keep him alive but years of battle-tested movements.

The enemies had massed at the bottom of the hill. He was out of time. The battle would begin soon. He swung his sword and charged.

The battle was a swinging, bloody mess, full of confusion and loss. The advantage of sending one soldier into a mass of enemies was, if the soldier was fast enough, it was easy to trick the enemy into eliminating each other with crossfire. Percy plunged past the small gaps in their formations, grinning as their 'lock on' systems took too long to well… Lock on. They should come back in fifty year, when they had the tech to back them up.

Or he could scare them enough that they'd never touch his home again.

He could hope.

The bad thing about sending one soldier into a mass of enemies was, well, having one soldier in a mass of enemies. Any backup he _could_ have was at some other point in the mess of guns, so he was practically alone.

He wasn't an idiot.

He understood why Chiron allowed only three or so to go out. If the whole camp attacked well, even with their disadvantage of celestial bronze, they would be able to hold the enemy off, but that wasn't the objective here. It was also why he was using his water powers as little as possible. The fact was, the main threat was that mortals were smart. If they really wanted to destroy half-bloods they could have bombed them or mined them.

(At least he assumed so, he was out of touch with mortal tech.)

This was them attempting to get information, maybe replicate their godly DNA. It was understandable really, the sheer amount of potential attack power they could get if they were able to harness it was immeasurable.

 _That's all we are in the end, human weapons._

He whipped around, narrowly blocking a bullet with the flat of his sword.

 _I'm running out of time._

 _Annabeth is smart, she'll stick close to camp, either way Nico will… Do what I asked_

 _She will be okay._

 _That's all that matters._

 _Meanwhile…_

 _I think this is it._

He was too deep in the throng of opponents, and they were growing accustomed to his 'whack a mole pop up everywhere' tactic. He was getting overwhelmed, he felt himself wearying. As soon as he thought that an errant stream of bullets hit near his foot, causing him to fall and slide. Panic overtook his mind, filling him with a fear.

 _I thought I was ready I'm not I haven't told Annabeth I love her Nico needs me people need me I need to protect camp no no no nonononononononnononono_

And then the World disappeared in fire.

Music started playing, but Percy was blinded and buried under the bodies and armour of thousands of men. He checked the pulse of a close one and despite himself was relieved to find a pulse. The blast was likely non-fatal, which was good. They weren't the monsters.

But… He wasn't dead or in an elevator to the underworld. So, the music was coming from…

"You guys are no fun at all! Honestly, I die for a month _A MONTH_ mind you and already you're having a blast without me. Yo Percy! You okay! Aww man... I didn't kill you did I? Oh Styx I think I killed him, ah what do I do in this situation, Annabeth's going to MURDER me."

Percy coughed, and pushed off the men covering him. His ankle throbbed with the pain, he thought it might have been grazed by a bullet blared loudly from the metal dragon that had crashed into the battlefield.

If that was who he thought it was... He turned around and-

"LEO!?"

The son of Hephaestus grinned and flashed a peace sign.

"Alive and in the flesh, trust me, you don't get good-looking this good in the Un-umph"

The smaller hispanic boy was unable to finish the sentence on account that he had been strangled by Percy's arms wrapping around his throat.

"Never again" Percy choked out. "Don't ever do something like that again."

"Perce I-"

"PROMISE ME"

Leo's expression froze.

"We… We mourned you, we thought you were dead."

There was a strange heartbreak in his chest, and he wasn't sure how he could label it. As the initial adrenaline from the fight drained away, the relief and grief swept over him, drowning him in the fear and pain he had struggled through for months. The only thing keeping him up was the information that Leo was _alive_ he was here he wasn't _dead_.

"You're too important to us, never do that again."

He didn't wait for an answer, he didn't need one. It wasn't a question. He wouldn't lose anyone ever again. He couldn't.

 _Because it almost killed us when he left_

They didn't have the liberty to talk any more, there was too much danger surrounding them and most likely Annabeth had only just seen Festus.

"Perce, we'll catch up later. Right now we're defending our home."

The icy tone in Leo's voice made him wince almost because _when did that kid grow up from the sassy mechanic on the ARGO II_ but he spoke the truth. They didn't have time for emotions, they were soldiers in a war.

"Our enemies are mortals-don't ask Chiron will fill you in later. Non-fatal shots only. Good luck."

Festus took to the air, firing at any large groups of gun wielding soldiers he could see.

 _Having an aerial advantage, that's great. But they could try and gun him down so they have to keep their distance._

 _Stay safe you guys._

Before the worry whirled up in him again he turned to face the nearest enemies. He had a battle to fight.

Percy gritted his teeth as yet more enemy forces surrounded the group. Leo's arrival had given a sense of relief but despite his strength he was only one person. The odds weren't in their favour, there were just too many men. Percy was out of time. This was the last chance he had. With the last of his strength he let out a guttural roar, cleaving his way through as many foes as he could. He steered his way towards Nico, and caught a glimpse of the son of Hades. He was worn out, ragged to the bone. He wasn't using his powers either, he knew the risks. He expected to have to shout but the look in his eyes said it all. The kid hardened his jaw, looking far to grown up for his age and disappeared into a swirl of darkness. Percy hadn't been abandoned, he knew exactly where Nico was.

Nico shook off the nausea that came from shadow traveling while fatigued, he didn't have time. He grasped Annabeth, and just in time swirled away before they would have both been killed. Immediately she tried to struggle but he held firm.

"Nico! Let me down! I need to go to Percy!" Annabeth said, trying to break free once they landed.

Nico tightened his grip on her as he said, "I can't do that Annabeth. Percy signaled to me to get you to safety and I'm doing just that."

 _Flashback_

" _Nico," Percy said seriously to the teenager beside him._

" _What?" Nico asked._

" _Something is going to happen. I have a bad feeling about this attack so when I signal to you, grab Annabeth and Shadow Travel to safety," Percy requested._

 _Nico nodded and asked, "What will the signal be?"_

" _I'll find you. You'll know." Percy said, having thought this out for once._

" _I'll do it," Nico said._

 _Flashback End_

"But what about Percy? He's alone, you have to go back for him!" Annabeth asked.

"Annabeth… He..."

"What?"

"He said that he'd come home to you. But that he wanted me to get you out. He probably has a plan, he's Percy after all." Nico said with a reassuring smile.

Annabeth smiled tensely before looking back to where Camp Half Blood would be.

' _Please come back alive.'_

Meanwhile at Camp Half Blood, Percy was fighting as hard as he could but there was no end to the enemies. He couldn't kill anyone, just disable them, these were human beings. He dodged the bullets as much as he could but it proved to be too much.

 _This is it then.._

Another bullet hit him in the leg, tearing through muscle and sinew, making him collapse to his knees. Yet another hit him in the arm where his sword was, the sheer shock and pain causing him to drop Riptide.

 _I… I'm never going home._

And if things couldn't get worse, they just did. A sudden hit to the back of his head caused him to start blacking out.

His last thought before losing consciousness was, ' _I'm sorry Annabeth.'_

 _But I'm not coming back to you this time._

 _I'm sorry._

 **And there you have it! Thank you to all of you who reviewed and followed, it means the World to us. Virtual hugs for you all!  
Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing April and we will see you (hopefully) soon with Chapter three!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Next Chapter! Thank you for all of the well-wishes, favs and follows this story has gotten! Love you all!**

 **IAmHelenOfTroy: Hi! I think there's been a small misunderstanding. You see, we are co-authoring this story, AngelOfDarkness can verify it for you. I have written that out in the authors notes but sorry!**

Annabeth shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine.

 _It's just nerves. I haven't been in Olympus for a long time._

 _It's just nerves._

She bit her lip and shook her head. She wouldn't dishonour herself by comforting herself with a lie. She knew in her gut that something was wrong, however irrational that was. But even without her physic 'feeling' (note to get rid of that, she was _not_ going to become another Percy) she knew that Percy, for all his strength was still half-human. He couldn't go on forever. And in the fight he had been holding back, at least partially. For Nico, his powers drained him so he rarely used them in common battles, and she of course was capable enough to only rely on her wit and intellect. Percy was a different matter altogether. His powers seemed like more of a natural extension of his fighting style, and they worked to heal and regenerate him.

 _Why wasn't Percy okay…_

 _Why wasn't he back?_

Annabeth trusted Nico, he would follow Percy, and there was no way that Nico would abandon Percy if he seemed to be in trouble. But the entire fight was wrong. Yes the mortals were a threat and it was important to hold them off, not attack them directly, but the plan Chiron had come up with was strange. Chiron would never put any of them in danger and yet he seemed oddly happy with the plan, not even offering to stay.

 _Did that count as a red flag?_

Also, the mortals. It was terrifying that their existence had been threatened but there was still something…Off. She hadn't been around genuine mortals since she was seven, and she had no real grasp on their technology and what they were capable of. In fact, she had no idea what the capabilities of people who weren't half-bloods were. In camp, everyone had a strict role, and hers was strategizing against monsters, with obvious attack potential. But she had never tried to see her enemies minds, maybe that was wrong. But there had never been a real need to, she had been in peace for most of her life and when there were major battles she was always working in a unit or at least with other people by her side. And they had preparations, thanks to prophecies. However hard they were to understand, at least they gave warning. Like a giant cosmic bell.

 _Ding ding get ready your life is going to be ruined within the next few weeks so up and at em people!_

Mentally pushing that… Oddly Percy-like thought to the back (far far back) of her mind she thought of what she knew about the enemy.

The mortals awareness, something she'd never even considered happening. Besides conspiracy theorists and crazy people, nobody had even gotten close to figuring out the truth about their existence. It started with the 'natural disasters' that Gaea's awakening caused. The massive upheaval of the Earth revealed new minerals and ores, enough to stimulate a practical revolution in engineering and science.

 _Mental note, figure out how advanced mortal technology is._

It was annoying, Percy was always the one who knew about mortals and full-humans, courtesy of crime dramas and whatnot. She didn't even know if they had developed past smartphones. And pre-seven Annabeth had been interested in little else than her godly mother, physics and ancient greek, Warfare was a massive gap. But…

She wrinkled her brow, thinking all the way back to history her father had told her about, with…

With bombs.

Remembering the horrific pictures of Nagasaki and Hiroshima almost made her stomach turn just thinking about it, those were _not_ suitable for a curious child. Her father had been distraught that she'd looked them up but that wasn't her focus now.

Because she remembered the massive damage that they had caused.

If the mortals wanted to wipe out half-bloods, why didn't they just drop another bomb? They had planes and she was sure that they could toss one out.

But that-

That didn't make sense because why wouldn't the mortals do that unless-

…

Unless the mortals didn't want to kill them.

She had never even considered-Mortals had never fought them-And anyone who she _did_ fight, ergo monsters had never wanted anything but death.

But these were _mortals_.

Regular rules didn't apply.

"Annabeth?"

It was Jason, he must have seen her face, wide eyed and terrified in the wake of her latest realisation.

"Jason, why did the mortals attack us?"

"Annabeth, what are you talking about? If this is about your father, I'm sure he didn't rat us out, it must be one of our parents and-"

"Just, just answer the question. Why did the mortals attack us?"

Jason looked hesitant, almost scared. It was understandable, with how she was acting.

"To kill us. To wipe us off the map."

"No, that's what monsters want, but mortals are different."

Jason had lost his hesitancy, face morphing into one of puzzlement and slight concern.

"Annabeth, if you're not coping-"

"No no, mortals aren't monsters. Monsters would want to kill us but mortals, even if they did, why do it in a direct attack? They have better forms of warfare than guns, they have long distance attacks. Going from how they were attacking, their strategy is more appropriate for-for a raid or if-"

Her mind screeched to a halt.

"Or if they were looking for something."

Jason was a blur at the edge of her subconscious because _Percy_ with all his mortal knowledge would have understood this immediately, and he must have known that the mortals were _looking_ for them not _hunting_ them down. Percy would have known so why had he gone.

Why did Chiron choose this strategy?

Annabeth needed to talk to the Gods.

 _Percy… Please be okay._

Leo shouldn't have come back.

That was his only thought as he knelt on the battlefield that was so empty, filled only with the bodies of injured soldiers. Festus creaked and groaned from besides him. The curly-haired boy gritted his teeth, trying to hold back tears.

 _Why!_

Percy had vanished, taken or worse. And Leo had been helpless. Just like his mother, just like Calypso.

 _Too often this had happened._

The lump in his throat grew and pulsated, causing him to bend over with agony, the pain in his heart and throat swelling. He choked, falling to the ground, dirt less than a centimetre from his nose nonononononono-

His breathing picked up, choking him. The blood pounded in his veins, ringing and thudding in his ears sounding like a drumming pandemonium. He splayed his fingers across his chest, his heart thudding so heavily his ribs were surely bruised-could nobody hear that ringing noise and why was his vision so distorted it felt as though the World was trapped outside from him, like he was looking out from a lens-was nobody hearing him, was that yelling, what was even going on!

"-eo!"

 _He knew that voice._

The ringing and banging didn't vanish but receded slightly, enough for his to discern his surroundings.

Battlefield. Festus. Guns. _Percy-_

" _Leo BREATHE! Can you hear me!"_

He couldn't breathe, the lump choking him, stopping him from inhaling oxygen, why was there a ringing he needed to breath why was his mouth not working.

He was choking on his own saliva and attempts at breathing but he couldn't stabilise.

" _Calm"_

Suddenly his vision cleared and he could breathe. Nothing was obstructing his breath, nobody was choking him. He was fine. His brow wrinkled. He had never calmed down that quickly…

"LEO!"

He jerked back to his surroundings, only to be directly faced with the almond eyes he had agonised for for months before they had reunited.

"Wh-what?"

"You were panicking, and I-I didn't know what to do because you were choking and seemed so _scared_ and you told me to stay away but their weapons shot fire and you couldn't get close and you need to _calm down_ because the only thing I thought to do was cast a spell but it won't last much longer so-"

"Hey hey, I'm alright, genuinely. They-they're anxiety attacks and I have them every now and again, it's been a long time. The last time was… Was when I lost you."

Calypso looked at him, panic and concern creasing her face. She sniffed uglily and flung her arms around him.

"O-Okay we're doing the hugs. Hugs are good. O-oh no no, crying. Crying no good I don't know what to do with crying CALYPSO WHY ARE YOU CRYING PLEASE-"

She choked with laughter, a sound he'd never grow tired of, and her sobs subsided. He felt his pseudo-calm fall away as the spell finally wore off, leaving him with his concern over his friend. But right now, his heart was still thudding and the girl he loved most in the World was in his arm and he needed a minute. He squeezed his eyes shut and looped his arms around her.

"We're okay… And we'll find him."

She was probably confused but that was okay. She could catch up in a bit.

 _Percy…. Please be okay._

When Percy woke up, he had no idea where he was. His vision was still slightly blurred but he could discern his surroundings. It looked like some ominous lab from a movie. Everything was painted white but the room was dark with hardly any light. There was no window and he gulped realising that he was most likely underground, how far he had no idea. Equipment was everywhere and Percy realized with a jolt that some of it was for him.

He tried to move but his legs and arms were strapped down by something he couldn't break through. Upon further investigation, he realized that Riptide was missing, something he had never believed possible, and he wasn't wearing the same clothes as he was before.

 _What happened?_

His vision was clear now as memories of the attack came rushing back to him. He had been fighting... But then he was knocked unconscious and ended up being captured by the mortals.

 _Annabeth! Is she okay? Is the rest of the camp okay?_

Percy was shook out of his thoughts by the door opening. A man in a lab coat came in but the room was too dark for Percy to see what he looked like.

"Ah, you're awake I see," the man said, coming closer to him.

As he came closer, Percy was able to see what he looked like. He had short gray hair but he wasn't wrinkly like an old man. He seemed quite young, in fact. He wore glasses and his clothes were like something Percy would expect from a sci-fi movie.

"Who… who are you?" Percy demanded, his green eyes darkening with anger.

The man smirked at him and replied, "You'll find out soon enough demigod. For now, all you need to know is why you're here."

The man walked to one of the desks and pulled out a syringe filled with a blue chemical. He injected it into Percy's arm as Percy struggles to get away. Percy didn't feel any effects from the chemical however and continued to struggle.

The man, caught by surprise, laughed and said, "It seems like you have grown immune to the numbing drug. Doesn't matter though since I have something stronger I can use."

The man pulled out a different syringe, this time filled with a green chemical. When he injected it into Percy, he began to feel numb. He couldn't move his arms anymore and he had no choice expect to just lay down. The man hummed in satisfaction and injected another syringe.

"There we go," the scientist said, smirking at him, "Now you won't be able to escape."

"Why…," Percy groaned, starting to feel sleepy, "why are you doing this?"

"It's quite simple really. You demigods are a threat to us mortals. You have powers that no mortal has ever had. When we first discovered you, we were afraid. But we soon realized that we were more powerful. Our weapons are more advanced than your fancy swords and they can't harm us. However…," the man started to explain, "Your other powers you get from your godly parent is simply extraordinary. That's why we didn't wipe you out. The government wants that power and quite frankly, so do we. And we will get these powers by whatever means necessary."

The man smiled greedily and that was the last thing Percy saw before he lost consciousness.

 _Everyone, this… This is dangerous. I hope that… Just… Please be okay._


End file.
